ďA lie can make it half way around the world before the truth has time to put its boots onĒ Ė like a false statistic recently disseminated by supporters of Wisconsinís government-
employee unions.

Despite being debunked by PolitiFact, it has since been widely repeated in multiple letters to the editor, and it remains uncorrected on the web sites of publications like The Economist.

On Wednesday, PolitiFact debunked the claim by Wisconsin union supporters that Virginia, which bans collective bargaining in state agencies, ranks 44th in the nation in ACT/SAT scores, compared to Wisconsin ranking 2nd. For example, it noted that in 2009, Virginia ranked 22nd in ACT scores, while Wisconsin ranked 13th. As PolitiFact notes, this claim was originally disseminated by the Wisconsin Democratic Party, which has now retracted it.

(Although PolitiFact didnít note this, in 2010, Virginia actually beat Wisconsin in ACT scores, with Virginia ranked 12th and Wisconsin ranked 17th. Unlike Wisconsin, Virginia is a right-to-work state that bars forcing employees to pay union dues. Collective bargaining with government employee unions is currently mandated in Wisconsin, but banned in Virginia).

yeah, my buddy from the other thread posted that Vrigina, NC, SC, Georgia, and Texas all ranked in the bottom 5 in ACT scores. I posted the 2009 ACT scores from their website to show that it was false...got into with his brother about it. Wisconsin schools don't accept the SAT's so most college bound students take the ACT instead (like 84%) compared to other states that >10% take it.

I personally got a 22 and 23 on the ACT (took it twice) which is above the National average...my wife got a 30 or 31 on it...little snot could have gone anywhere she wanted with that score.

AmPat

02-26-2011, 12:13 PM

I've never seen much value in ACT scores. Much like intellect, it can be wasted.